Hey friends, Hannah here 😊

Last week I did a big inventory of my business. I mapped out each area, and it turns out there are a lot of them, most of which need regular attention.

Over the past 15 years, I’ve had to become an email marketing pro, a sales expert, a product designer, a headhunter, a networking maven, a systems and tech whizz, a writer, a marketer, a community leader, a financial expert, customer support, a retreat host, a partnerships extraordinaire, a manager, and somehow - with my anxious-leaning personality - an international speaker.

And that’s just listing a few. 🤯

I don’t tell you this to brag, nor to complain. I tell you because I think there’s an important lesson to be gleaned:

When we work for ourselves, when we dare to step outside the roles society places on us, when we refuse to conform to one narrow definition of what we’re “supposed” to do, it comes with responsibility.

But more meaningfully, it comes with enormous growth.

I’m a lifelong learner.

Not in the academic sense. Those of you who know my story well will know that a pretty severe case of domestic violence saw me drop out of education before university had even really begun.

I’m a lifelong learner in the sense that everything interests me. I’m endlessly curious. And almost every new thing I learn reveals possibilities I couldn’t see before.

I didn’t know that when I created a tiny little freebie as a virtual assistant all those years ago, this email list would someday grow to 20,000+ people.

I didn’t know businesses would pay to appear in this newsletter. I didn’t know my writing would reach people all over the world.

I still get a pang of, “Wait, I’m about to send an email to 20k people, unsupervised… is this legal?” haha.

I didn’t know this newsletter itself would become such an integral business asset.

And I definitely didn’t know that, in a strange roundabout way, I’d eventually realize one of my childhood dreams, and no, not the one where I get paid to play video games:

The amount may be nominal in the grand scheme, but the fact of it isn’t to be ignored.

On that note...

‼️ A quick pause: You may have noticed a few sponsored slots in my newsletter lately. This is new and exciting for me. I only feature publications, products, or people I read, use, and love, like below, and I get paid when you click - even if you don’t sign up! So, if you have a second, a simple click on the ad below directly supports my independent writing and free resources. Thank you 😊

I didn't know that awkward little me had it in her to step onto a stage in front of hundreds of people. I didn't know people would want to hear what I had to say.

I didn't know I had anything to say! I've had stuff to say because I've learned so much. I have stuff to say because I've spent a lifetime of listening to what others say, forming my own opinions, making my own mistakes, and learning by doing.

📈 Skills compound.

One skill leads to another. One client introduces you to an industry you didn’t know existed. One project gives you the confidence to pitch another. One conversation introduces you to someone who changes the entire trajectory of your career.

And that’s exactly why I’m teaching my free First Client Live class on September 29th.

If you’ve been watching the remote job market and feeling increasingly frustrated, I want to show you another route.

Not “apply to 200 jobs and cross your fingers.”

Not “wait until someone decides you’re qualified.”

But learn how to identify skills people will actually pay you for, package them, start conversations, and go looking for your first freelance client. You do not need ten years of experience. You definitely don’t need a degree. You do not need to know exactly what your eventual business will look like.

You need somewhere to begin, and this is THE place to do just that:

Come to First Client Live on September 29 👉 SIGN UP RIGHT HERE!​

And while we’re talking about following the unexpected paths life puts in front of us…

🇮🇹 Come hang out with me in Sardinia 🇮🇹

I’ll be speaking at ADOMU / Sardinia Nomad Fest & Electronic Music Fest this October in Sant’Antioco, alongside a brilliant group of remote workers, founders, creatives, and humans building unconventional lives.

Sardinia is actually a particularly meaningful place for me; some of the earliest ideas that eventually became Digital Nomad Kit started forming while I was living there.

So going back, this time as a speaker, feels very full-circle.

If Italy, community, remote work, music, great conversations, and a few days away from your usual environment sound appealing, come join me and a few other DNK community members who already got their tickets.

Get Details + (discounted) tickets 👉 RIGHT HERE​

And finally, one for those of you who could use a reset rather than another business lesson…

🇮🇪 Hang out (and chill out) in Ireland with Kim 🍀

Kim, Team DNK’s health and wellness coach, is heading to Ireland for the Cork Mind Body Experience. Ireland's Largest Holistic Event on the 12th & 13th September 2026, with free admission, 100 exhibitors, and 72 hours of complimentary talks, workshops & classes.

Kim could never have guessed that her learning path would take her to Ireland to deliver a Holistic Partner Pulsing workshop. A bodywork practice that is one of my personal favorite experiences when it comes to relaxing and letting go!

If you’ve spent this year staring at screens, looking after everybody else, building your business, juggling clients, and generally operating with 68 browser tabs open in your brain, this might be exactly the kind of thing you need.

Expect a grounded, experiential workshop introducing you to Holistic Partner Pulsing, a gentle, platonic touch-based partner bodywork modality using rhythmic movement, mindful touch, breath, and presence to support nervous system regulation, relaxation, and embodied connection. Think of it like the soothing rocking of a baby… but for adults. You can check out this video for more info on what Holistic Pulsing is.

Find out more about the Mind Body Experience here 👉 RIGHT HERE!​

You cannot predict all the places your curiosity, skills, relationships, and tiny decisions will eventually take you.

Yesterday I lovingly tended to all my household plants; there are many. I reorganized them for varied sunlight exposure needs; I trimmed dead leaves from others, watered others, and I tied some to poles so they don't fall. I am giving them the best possible conditions for growth and expansion.

You can do that for yourself, too.

Hannah